Opening Watch: The status of 27 Charleston restaurants

Coming soon to a plate near you

Opening a new restaurant is no small feat — permits upon permits, finding the space, paying for the space, standing out in a sea of small plate/New Southern/barbecue/pizza spots popping up almost daily — but by golly, the brave and the many are embarking on this culinary journey around town. We've compiled an up-to-date list of the status of restaurants on the peninsula and beyond. Start marking your calendars:

Downtown

Josephine Wine Bar64 Spring St.
The Spring Street wine bar is still set to open mid-July. Read all about the new space, and what sommelier Ashley Broshious will be bringing to the peninsula, here. Chubby Fish 252 Coming St.
After P&C broke down in great detail the lengthy timeline of the Coming St. seafood restaurant yesterday, we figured an exact opening date was just around the corner. And we were right. We just got word that Chubby Fish is opening tomorrow Fri. June 22 starting at 5 p.m. Semilla218 President St.
The Westside spot taking over the old Lee Lee's Kitchen is still slated to open "this summer, later in July." Head to Daps Breakfast and Imbibe this Friday starting at 5 p.m. to try contemporary Mexican cuisine from their preview menu. Tradd's167 East Bay St.
The restaurant going into the old Cypress space describes itself as "a modern, American restaurant opening this summer in downtown Charleston. Inspired by the Holy City's warm and welcoming hospitality, Tradd’s focuses on gracious service, sophisticated style, and a refined menu. Casually elegant but not uptight, Tradd's is ideal for both the special and the ordinary occasions in life" and most recently relayed that they'll be open "late summer/early fall."Melfi's721 King St.
No exact word from owner Brooks Reitz, but Reitz Instagrammed the interior of Melif's June 4 with the caption "opening in August."Herd Provisions106 Grove St.
Owner Alec Bradford says that they're shooting for an Oct. 1 opening. Read about the plans for the butcher shop and restaurant here.
Big Bad Breakfast456 Meeting St.
John Currence will be opening his famed chain Big Bad Breakfast at 456 Meeting St. In February we reported that Currence will demolish the now-shuttered Simply Fashions building to begin work on the restaurant, but it is still standing as of today. The minutes from the Board of Architectural Review — Small meeting held on Thurs. June 14 indicate that the request for preliminary approval for "building renovation and site improvements" were approved.

Hotel Bennett'Signature restaurant' (unnamed) & Camellia's "Lady Bar"
404 King St.
Hotel Bennett has appointed Michael Sichel executive chef of what will be the hotel's main restaurant. Sichel will leave his post as executive chef of seven years at the century-old Bourbon Street joint, Galatoire, in NoLa. The chef began his career at Gotham Bar and Grill in NYC, and competed on the 2012 season of Top Chef. In addition to the main restaurant, the hotel will have, as we reported we back in 2016, a special "ladies bar." The 179-room luxury hotel is slated to open fall 2018.

Revival
162 East Bay St.
At the beginning of the year, The Vendue announced that its formal dining space, The Drawing Room, would be transitioned into a lounge area as they worked on their new, more casual concept, Revival. Well, according to their website (and a few full page ads) that space opens tonight, Thurs. June 21, at 5 p.m. Peep the menu here.

167 Raw
193 King St.
In March we reported that 167 Raw had purchased the old Il Cortile Del Re space, hoping to make it the new home base of the restaurant in early 2019.

Charleston Poke Co.10 WestEdge
Yesterday, P&C reported that Charleston Poke Co. recently leased a 2,556 square foot space in the new WestEdge development. We've reached out to Poke Co. to see if they have an opening date set. Farmers & Exchange141 East Bay St.
The most recent update on Farmers & Exchange that we could find was a 2016 Eater article with photos of banquettes going into the space owned by the Balish family, who are also behind Anson. A spokesperson at Anson said that they are not aware of any recent construction on the building that would change its opening status. We'll keep peeping in the windows for now.

Playa Bowls 429 King St.
Taking over the old Black Bean Co. space, the New Jersey-based chain has a "coming soon" sign in the window. Co-owner John Tramontano said the company is shooting for an Aug. 1 opening.

North Charleston

Garco Mill4845 O'Hear Ave.
According to their Facebook, the Park Circle food hall is "still shooting for early 2019, the lease is secured and the search for vendors is underway."

In May we reported that Dashi owners Stephen Thompson and Oscar Hines had purchased property on Remount Road for a brick and mortar location. Their most recent update is that they're "shooting to open this fall" and are currently working with an architect.

The owner of Daniel Island's Agave restaurant, Armando Navarro, is opening Azul; we've reached out for an update on the opening date.

West Ashley

Slice Co.1662 Savannah Hwy. Suite 205
At the end of May Slice Co. owner Todd Lucey told us that the pizza joint was graduating from Workshop to a brick-and-mortar in West Ashley, with plans to open mid-July. According to their Facebook page, they have a soft opening set for Wed. July 11.

House of Brews 2
House of Brews is set to open a second location in West Ashley; they most recently messaged us that "we are hoping for end of summer opening, but no clue as of yet on an official date."

Mt. Pleasant

Poke Tea House627 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Ste. B
Owner Chu Xin Jiang spoke with us about the opening of the second Poke Tea House, going into 627 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Ste. B (inside the Pivotal Fitness). They're looking to open in the middle of July with the same menu and possibly earlier hours. "We'll offer coffee, tea, maybe breakfast items." The seating inside will be similar to the flagship location, and while the new spot is located in the same building as Pivotal, Poke will have their own entrance.

Rise Biscuits Donuts Indigo Square
On May 30 the P&C reported that Rise would be part of the new Publix GreenWise-anchored shopping center in Mt. Pleasant and that Publix would open early 2019 and "other tenants will open in November 2018, according to a Regency Centers spokeswoman."

James Island

Maple St. Biscuit1739 Maybank Hwy.
We walked by the Maple St. Biscuit Co. this week and looks like the interior is still under construction, with a "now hiring" sign on the door. We've reached out, but no specifics on opening date.

John Island

The Royal Tern3005 Maybank Hwy.
We drive by the Royal Tern every day — construction is still under way, but it's looking close. The P&C reported that the restaurant probably won't open until "late summer or early fall."

Folly Beach

Wiki Wiki Sandbar 106 E. Ashley Ave.
Opening at 106 E. Ashley Ave., the South Pacific themed bar — with industry vet Karalee Fallert at the helm — is slated to open late summer. According to Eater, the restaurant will have five rooms with different themes and works from local artists, eats from Executive Chef Jason Dupree (formerly of Rue de Jean), and tiki drinks from beverage director Xan McLaughlin. In a recent press release, Fallert said, "we are already immersed in Folly Beach because of our first Taco Boy restaurant...and are excited to bring Wiki Wiki Sandbar to the area, a beach community known for its unique vibe and adventurous spirit."

Lowlife 106 E. Hudson Ave.
The restaurant located at 106 E. Hudson Ave. says "We are currently waiting on our liquor license which can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks."